The event, now in its third year, offered an afternoon of free activities for adults and children alike.

UPPER PITTSGROVE TWP. -- The third annual Earth Day Festival at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center Sunday brought together people of all ages.

Best of all, the event was free.

The afternoon gathering held under sunny skies at Appel Farm on Shirley Road offered something for everyone to enjoy.

The festival featured Earth Day-themed activities including art projects, live music, dancing and outdoor games. There were also food trucks.

There were a wide variety of different crafts to try. Outdoor activities included games and even a chance to help plant the Appel Farm garden and flower beds.

Also on display was art by Salem and Gloucester County Teen Arts Festival participants who also presented a showcase of music and theater performances.

Visitors also had a change to meet Appel Farm directors to learn about the programs offered there which have drawn children and teenagers from around the world for the past 50 years.

Shelters and rescues throughout the state have pets waiting for adoption.

You can teach an old dog new tricks.

From television shows to the internet to specialists for hire, there are a myriad of sources a pet owner can select from on the topic of dog training. How can they tell who's right and who's wrong?

While there are many opinions out there, one trainer, Alyona DelaCoeur of whydoesmydog.com, addressed some of the more common - and misleading - training beliefs.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. False! Sometimes it's actually easier to teach mature dogs tricks because they're less distracted. Certainly some unwanted behaviors will take longer to stop because the dog has had longer for them to become habits, but they can be retrained. Bear in mind, though, that older dogs will need more frequent rest breaks in training.

Bribe your dog with food to get results. Positive reinforcement through motivation works best in dog training; the use of treats and food should not be the main focus. While treats and toys can be helpful, building a strong connection with your pet is the most important part of training.

Dogs misbehave because they are mad, stubborn or need to be dominant. Dogs do not have an agenda behind what they do. He peed on the floor because he had to go and didn't get let out; she tore up a cushion because she was bored. Only a handful of dog breeds exhibit 'dominance;' assuming human personality traits to dogs doesn't help in training at all.

Training is guaranteed for life. One way dogs are like humans is that they can forget their good manners and learn new bad habits throughout their lives. One way to avoid this is to not introduce major changes into a dog's life; a dog who never begged before may start if someone gives him food from the dinnee table, for example.

In dog training, simple common sense is usually the best approach; the proven methods are usually the best methods. Bear in mind that some trainers are promoting different methods solely for the sake of being different; approaches that have worked for generations still work today.

Above is a gallery of homeless pets in New Jersey. More pets in need of adoption can be seen by clicking here and here.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Salem County Rewind takes a look back at our unique history through photographs and news items from a century ago.

In this feature which appears each week, we present a vintage photo from Salem County (along with a large number of other historic local photos in an earlier gallery) and local history tidbits taken from newspapers of a century ago.

SALEM COUNTY PICTURE FROM THE PAST

The vintage photo of Salem County shows three men and a young girl with a sheep in a field around Alloway. The girl is identified as Geneva Dolbow. The men are Jerry Watson, Charlie Dolbow and Willard Darlington, according to information provided with the photograph. The date is unknown but probably sometime around 1900 or earlier. This picture is from the Salem County Historical Society's Robert P. Dorrell Photograph Collection and is part of the photographic materials acquired by Dorrell from 1969 until his death in 1997. The collection consists of approximately 1,200 glass plate negatives and additional film negatives. The photographs, primarily of Alloway and vicinity, were taken by Abraham Darlington and his son, Willard, from about the 1870's or 1880's through the 1950's or 1960's. The collection was donated to the Society and is in the process of being digitized. To learn more about the vast research archives available to the public at the Society, call 856-935-5004. (Photograph provided by the Salem County Historical Society)

SALEM COUNTY HISTORY

Looking back 100 years ago in Salem County for this week in 1917, these news items were included in the Salem Sunbeam.

*

Security boats are constantly patrolling the Delaware River near Carneys Point protecting the gunpowder industries there.

--

Mrs. Mary Knight of Bordentown made an address on suffrage in the Lecture Room of the Friends Meeting House in Hancocks Bridge Monday night.

--

A number of farmers in the Pennsville area finished planting potatoes this week. The weather has been ideal and farmers are expecting good stands when potatoes come up.

--

The garrison at Fort Mott has been reinforced and the First Company C.A.C. is now stationed at that place.

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The Penns Grove Temple No. 282 Camels of the World has secured a special dispensation and reopened its charter for new members. The charter will remain open for a month.

--

The Day Cottage at Fortescue, well known to many Salem fishermen who have enjoyed its hospitality, was burned to the ground last Saturday. Only by hard work by firefighters were other nearby cottages saved from fire.

--

Russell Morton, son of Warren M. Morton, has been granted an amateur operator's wireless telegraph license by the authorities at the League Island Navy Yard.

--

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook

This volunteer network of emergency shelters worked, and it worked well, but it took a village, as most things like this do.

In doing the people's business at the state and federal level, I have been known to introduce myself in the White House, the Statehouse and everywhere in between as the mayor of the "Great City of Bridgeton."

While some think this is a little corny, I do it because I believe in my community and I want those who engage with us to understand my confidence in Bridgeton's past, present and, mostly, its future. 

I am realistic enough to know that we as a city are not what we once were, but I'm also confident that our best days are not behind us -- they're yet to come. Bridgeton looks a lot different than it did in the past. I know this because I've glimpsed the city on a few cold nights.

These were some of my thoughts as we put the finishing touches on winter and closed down our Code Blue efforts for the year. Needless to say, I'm grateful for the hard work of some amazing people in Code Blue over the course of a long winter.

If you're not familiar with Code Blue, it's a program that provides our homeless population with a warm place to sleep overnight in the winter months, when temperatures become dangerously cold or we're expecting sleet or snow. 

Code Blue utilizes several local churches around the community that open their doors and serve as warming centers when a Code Blue has been called. The trigger is when the temperature hits 32 degrees with precipitation, or 25 degrees without. I know there's not much difference between 27 and 25 degrees when you're outside but, short of a full-time shelter and staff, we have to start somewhere.

When a Code Blue is called, the hours run from 6 in the evening until 6 the following morning. The most amazing part of it all is the wonderful volunteers who work in the warming centers all night long.

Climate change notwithstanding, between Dec. 9 and March 22, Code Blue was activated a total of 33 times. This represented a 7 percent increase in the number of Code Blue events from the previous year, even though February 2017 was one of warmest Februaries on record.

Over this season, Code Blue served an average of 19 individuals a night at whichever church served as the designated warming center. Along with a warm and safe place to sleep on these coldest nights, the Code Blue program provided more than 1,500 meals to those in need of a hot meal, but not a bed, overnight.

Code Blue was most certainly a group effort. In its fourth year, several congregations in the greater Bridgeton area stepped forward to offer their facilities as warming centers. This helped enormously. These same congregations helped staff the program with roughly 200 volunteers who did everything from setting up cots and distributing meals, to handing out toiletries and donated clothing. It worked and it worked well, but it took a village, as most things like this do. 

While Code Blue started in our Great City of Bridgeton, about three years ago  our sister cities of Vineland and Millville began their own Code Blue efforts to provide for their homeless citizens. Together, we've created a strong model that should be a source of pride. I say this because our collective efforts have gotten traction around New Jersey, and Code Blue is becoming a formal program, recognized by pending state legislation, in all 21 counties. While each program is unique, they all help their homeless on the coldest of nights.

In The Book of Matthew's Chapter 14, we see Jesus moved by compassion when he looked upon the multitudes that had been with him all day and were hungry as evening came. So moved, he fed 5,000 people with some loaves of bread and a couple of fish. 

In much the same way, Code Blue works because the compassion of a few moves them to help many in our community. And while it's not loaves and fishes on a Judean hillside, it's a hot meal, a warm cot and some clean linen in a church basement. 

To all, moved by compassion, who gave of their time, money and other resources, I want to say "thank you" for making Code Blue successful this past winter season.     

Albert B. Kelly is mayor of Bridgeton. Contact him by phone at 856-455-3230 Ext. 200.

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Training covers how to recognize, respond to and report a bias crime or incident

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice , County Prosecutor's Association of New Jersey, Cumberland, Atlantic, Cape May, Gloucester, and Salem County Prosecutor's Offices and the New Jersey State Association of Chief of Police present Bias Crime/Inclident Training for Community Partners.

 

This training covers how to recognize, respond to and report a bias crime or incident. The course will focus on identifying bias incidents on a local level, and understanding the difference between a bias crime and bias incident.

A segment of the training will cover the role of community outreach, as it relates to local leaders, chaplains, interested community groups and the Human Relations Commissions. At the conclusion of the program, participants should be expected to share the learned information with other members of the community in an effort to encourage all to come forward and report bias crimes and incidents as they occur. 

This training is suited to community/faith based leaders, chaplains, and interested community members 

The training will take place on Tuesday, June 6. Registration from 6 to 6:30 p.m.; and training starts promptly 6:30 p.m. and continues to 9 p.m. at Cumberland County College, Guaracini Performing Arts Center, 3322 College Drive, Vineland. For directions, www.cccnj.edu/theatre/luciano-theatre-directions. 

Register for this training by using the survey monkey web link: 

www.surveymonkey.com/r/RRSQYPB. 

Seats will fill up fast, register as soon as possible 

Questions should be referred to Training-Outreach Liaison David Leonardis, Prosecutors Supervision and Training Bureau, Division of Criminal Justice; David.Leonardis@lps.state.nj.us, Office: 609-984-0931; Cell: 609-610-0948 or Mark Anderson, Community Outreach Liaison, Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office; markan@co.cumberland.nj.us, Office: 856-207-1173.

This item submitted by Garritt Kenyon, Cumberland County Human Relations Commission.

Atlantic City Electric will test equipment prior to peak summer season

MAYS LANDING -- A test conservation period will be called Monday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for customers of Atlantic City Electric's voluntary Energy Wise Rewards (EWR) program in order to test equipment prior to the peak summer season.

 

For participating customers, Atlantic City Electric will cycle the participants' air conditioner compressors off and on for short intervals during this time frame. Because the air conditioner fans will continue to run, most customers will not notice a temperature change in their home. It may take up to a half-hour after the test event ends for air conditioners to resume normal operations.

Energy Wise Rewards is a voluntary program that offers customers a choice of a web-programmable thermostat or an outdoor switch, which the utility installs at no charge to the customer. During summer periods of peak electric demand, Energy Wise Rewards works to reduce electricity usage by cycling central air conditioner compressors off and on for short periods during times of peak electricity use.

Customers receive a one-time bill reduction of $50 when Atlantic City Electric installs the EWR device in their home. Atlantic City Electric customers using Energy Wise Rewards can also save money by conserving energy.

Customers can learn more about Energy Wise Rewards by calling 1-866-355-4229 or visiting www.atlanticcityelectric.com/rewards.

For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit www.atlanticcityelectric.com. 

This item submitted by Francis Tedesco for Atlantic City Electric.

Salem County's Special Olympics-style event for people with disabilities

CARNEYS POINT -- Island Charities is once again sponsoring the annual Day in the Sun -- Salem County's Special Olympics-style event for people with disabilities. The event will be held at the Salem Community College Field House on May 20, it kicks off at 10 a.m. and ends around 2 p.m. Day In The Sun is staffed entirely by volunteers.

This is a great day for both the participants and the volunteers. There will be games, food, dancing and medals -- everyone's a winner!

Island Charities needs volunteers to help with various aspects of the event, especially "huggers." A "hugger" helps assist and encourage one or two athletes with disabilities with hugs, smiles and cheers. Some participants need more help than others. Help can range from pushing a wheelchair to just being a "cheerleader." Volunteers are also needed to help serve food, assist with registration and set up games. It's a fun day and there are always plenty of things for the volunteers to do!

Come make a difference, have some fun and spread a little sunshine in the process!

For more information, email Laurie at dayinthesunislandcharities@gmail.com or call Tim at 856-678-4537. Volunteers can show up that day and asked to be put to work. If anyone you know wishes to participate and has not been contacted call for registration information, all ages welcome.

This item submitted by Laurie McGuire for Island Charities.

Lee Lucas writes that President Donald Trump should strip union bargaining rights from New Jersey's public employees.

I wish President Donald Trump would issue an executive order abolishing collective bargaining for state and local government workers in certain states.

As far as the federal government is concerned, state sovereignty is a privilege. The Civil War settled, once and for all, the limits of state sovereignty and the supreme power of the federal government to rule over states.

When it comes to fiscal policy, the states are not equal. For instance, New Jersey is said to have the highest unfunded obligation for public workers' pensions.

It's obvious to me that the financial sovereignty of New Jersey should give way to a federal intervention. Otherwise, the state will be forced to raise taxes even higher to meet the pension obligations. And, if taxes go up more, I'd consider that enslavement of the state's people.

Both political parties, which gave away too much in their negotiations with public-sector unions, are to blame. Salaries for local government workers got too high, and their pensions are based on their top near-retirement compensation. Also, local government workers are given about 10 sick days a year, and longtime employees can cash them out if they they don't use them.

Look at how much it costs for the taxpayer-funded portion of medical insurance for local and state workers. This is one of the main drivers of higher property taxes.

Allowing government workers to engage in collective bargaining -- which was officially extended to them by state statute in 1968 -- was a big mistake.

The people of New Jersey can no longer manage themselves. Democracy in New Jersey has degraded to gross self-interest. The people of New Jersey need federal supervision.

                              Lee Lucas, Gibbstown

At 100 days, no better than the old swamp

What a difference 100 days in office makes.  

While running for the presidency, Donald Trump disparaged our military on several occasions. He said our military was in terrible shape and had lost the will to win. Approximately 100 days later, this multiple-deferment (during the Vietnam War-era draft) commander-in-chief declared that we have the greatest military in the world.

While running for office Trump, declared that China was the world's worst currency manipulator. As he reaches his 100-day mark on April 29 -- not so much.

Then we have NATO. Candidate Trump declared that it was of little value. He said that if the other nations in the treaty organization did not pay a fairer share, he would take the United States out of NATO. Now, he has declared that NATO is very important to our security and the security of our allies.

What has changed? Not our military, not China and not NATO. Trump made his campaign assertions out of ignorance and/or political expediency. He may have told his rallies what he thought they wanted to hear. If that is the case, he is no better than the politicians in the "swamp" he wanted to "drain."

Paul S. Bunkin, Turnersville

Sweeney alone can fix N.J. school funding

I have been following the discussion of state aid reforms to New Jersey's school funding plans.

Without making changes in the current distribution among districts, we must choose between harming students or harming taxpayers. In districts that receive less than full state aid under a 2008 formula, funding, residents either must make up for the shortfall with higher property taxes, or just leave the schools shortchanged so that taxes hopefully would not increase as much.  

This is a disastrous system and there are many losers as a result. If we were talking about only a small amount of money, we could have a reasonable discussion about the tradeoffs between local taxes and state aid. But, the underfunded districts are actually receiving about  $2.2 billion less than the 2008 formula calls for. Some districts are being funded at only 30 or 40 percent of what they are supposed to receive, mainly due to recent enrollment increases.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney recognizes this ridiculousness of this situation and wants to end it. He's asking for the school aid formula to be fully funded. He's also asking for taxpayers in districts that now receive 150 or 160 percent of this formula aid to start helping out those in districts that are at 30 or 40 percent.

Sweeney's plan is the only way we're going to see positive outcomes for students and taxpayers, instead of continuing the impossible situation we're in. 

Camille Atkinson, West Deptford Township

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com

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Ramon D. Garcia allegedly molested children in both Penns Grove and Carneys Point, authorities said.

SALEM -- A Salem County man has been indicted on charges of molesting children in two towns over a period of several years, according to court records.

Ramon D. Garcia has been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting children, according to court documents. (Salem County Correctional Facility) 

Authorities arrested Ramon D. Garcia, 56, of Carneys Point on Jan. 29 after the allegations he sexually assaulted the children came to light during an unrelated criminal investigation, police said at the time.

Last week a Salem County grand jury indicted Garcia on three charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two second-degree charges of sexual assault and two second-degree charges of endangering the welfare of a child, according to court documents.

The alleged sexual assaults date back to 2012 and involve two children under the age of 13, the indictment says.

According to the dates of birth of the victims in court papers, they may actually have been under the age of 10 at the time of the alleged assaults.

Police, when Garcia was arrested, said that the assaults dated back several years and involved young boys. The indictment only lists the alleged victims' initials.

Woman kicked officer in face: Indictment

Garcia was first charged earlier this year with sexually assaulting children in Carneys Point Township and then, after further investigation, was hit with similar charges in the borough of Penns Grove where he had lived for a time prior.

Police said Garcia had lived in the New York City area before moving to Salem County.

Because of the sensitivity of the case, authorities did not release further details.

Police said authorities at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been notified of the charges against Garcia because of his immigration status.

Jail records list his country of birth as Cuba, but no country of citizenship.

Garcia remained in the Salem County Correctional Facility, Mannington Township, without bail.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

NJ.com's second installment of group hitters and pitchers of the week

Owners blamed a triple shooting at a Vineland nightclub this weekend on 'gangs.' But does that mean a few young people with beefs, or something more sinister?

A packed Vineland nightclub became the scene of a multiple shooting early Saturday morning. Gunshots were fired inside the Grant Plaza on East Landis Avenue, police said, and three people were wounded, reportedly after the incident continued into the parking lot.

In similar cases, club management often clams up. But Grant Plaza Manager Noemi Fernandez was unusually descriptive in a statement she issued a few hours later.

Gang members, Fernandez stated, were responsible for the violence. The security staff was active, and metal detectors at the entrance were humming along, screening customers.

"A night that should have been fun for many became a night of terror and chaos. We can control our environment, but we can't control the times we're living in today," the statement said. 

Fernandez added, "The City of Vineland as well as the City of Millville and the City of Bridgeton are dealing with major issues such as gang rivalries and crime. The Grant Plaza became their playground last night."

Maybe this is classic blame shifting by the club owners. But, maybe it's not  -- and gang culture is more pervasive in South Jersey than many residents realize. 

Authorities have not confirmed any gang involvement in the Vineland incident. Police did say that when they arrived at the club, no one -- no customers, no one from management -- would tell them anything about what happened or who was responsible.

As one nj.com reader's online comment indicated, if you run a nightspot with metal detectors that risk overheating from constant use, you have an inkling that your main clientele is not from the Youth Bible Study Club. If the security measures at Grant Plaza were prudent and adequate, it still comes off as self-serving for the club to project responsibility for the shootings on conditions beyond its property.

So, what do have here? Is "gangs" used as shorthand for any local punks who have a beef with each other, plus some weapons to make their point? Or, do we have highly organized, highly armed, local affiliates of international gangs that will stop at nothing to protect or obtain turf for the illicit drug trade? 

Where it's the latter, President Donald Trump is absolutely right in wanting to rid us of unauthorized immigrants who represent such known-to-be-deadly groups as MS-13, which has its roots in Central America. 

In fact, Trump's crazy-quilt deportation policies might have broader public support if he could show that a significant number of the seats on one-way "ICE Air" flights out of our country were being filled by members of these gangs. That's not what CNN found recently when it monitored the 135 passengers on one flight. Mostly, it was people with multiple deportations or others who had been nabbed for minor criminal offenses.

Fears about gang activity stemming from brutal multinational criminal syndicates are real, but so is the possibility that these fears are being ginned up in South Jersey as cover for general mayhem and easy access to illegal guns. Either way, we have a problem. To respond effectively, we must separate fact from conjecture at Grant Plaza and other sites of group violence.

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com

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The Garden State has produced some of the most amazing national records for high school sports. Ever wonder what they are? We have the answers.

Jaron Q. Sorrell of Pedricktown was already on the state's sex offender registry for a 2011 conviction.

SALEM -- A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to four years in state prison for sending pornographic pictures to a minor, court officials say.

Jaron Q. Sorrell has been sentenced for sending pornographic photos to a teen boy., court officials say. (Salem County Correctional Facility) 

Jaron Q. Sorrell, 26, of Pedricktown must serve that sentence at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Avenel.

The facility, operated by the state Department of Corrections, is for the treatment of male sex offenders.

He was sentenced recently in state Superior Court in Salem.

Sorrell was arrested Feb. 26, 2016 on charges of sending pornographic photos via cell phone to a teenage boy, then 13, in Pennsville Township, authorities said at the time.

The boy's mother reported the activity to police, authorities said at the time of Sorrell's arrest.

Man gets 7 years for attempted murder

Authorities said they traced the photos back to a social media messenger app -- KiK --  and identified Sorrell as the sender. They described the photographs as"explicit."

Police said Sorrell and the boy became friends about a year before his arrest.

Authorities at the time of Sorrell's arrest said there had been no sexual contact between the two.

The sentence was the result of a plea deal with the Salem County Prosecutor's Office, according to the courts.

Sorrell is listed on the New Jersey State Police's Sex Offender Registry for a June 11, 2011 Salem County conviction of aggravated sexual assault.

Details of that case were not available. Sorrell was listed as a Tier 2 offender -- considered a "moderate" risk.

Who's next in line to add to the history?

The Food Bank of South Jersey is seeking the community's support

The Food Bank of South Jersey is seeking the community's support by participating in the nation's largest annual food drive, the 25th annual National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 13.

Photo provided 

The drive, which last year collected over 80 million pounds of food across the nation, enables communities to support their neighbors in need by utilizing local mail carriers to pick up essential food donations to distribute to local food banks.

Individuals can participate by simply setting a bag of non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes for their local letter carrier to pick up and deliver. This one day event gathers crucial resources for the nearly 200,000 residents who struggle with food insecurity in South Jersey.

For details, visit www.foodbanksj.org/stampouthunger.

This item submitted by Lauren Hann of Food Bank of South Jersey.

Have your voice heard!

We're a few weeks into the season and N.J. baseball fans have already made their choices for the best senior at each position known. 

Now, it's time to move on to the juniors and figure out who is the best infielder and outfielder among the 2018 class?

VOTE: Who is the top junior infielder?| Who is the top junior outfielder?

This poll will close on Monday, May 1 at noon – so be sure to vote early and often before the cutoff!

Miss the previous winners? Check them out here:

• Top senior infielder
• Top senior outfielder
• Top senior pitcher
• Top senior catcher

Disclaimer: We know you take these polls seriously. We do, too. We encourage you to come back and vote often. Please note, the poll will view rapid-fire voting from any individual IP as an attack and will put that IP in a time out.

You can do anything you want within reason to win these polls - make your case in the comments below, use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, MySpace, carrier pigeons, telegrams ... whatever you want to get the vote out. BUT any tech-based method designed to rack up votes will be flagged and those votes will be thrown out.

Young students learn about recycling and older students help with clean up

LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK -- In celebration of Earth Day, the Lower Alloways Creek School students in grades pre-kindergarten through second grade were visited by the Lower Alloways Creek Township recycling truck and township employee, Rob Hill.

Students saw a short video about the importance of recycling and how it helps the environment. Afterwards, they got to explore the recycling truck and see "the claw" in action.

"Mr. Hill reminded us not to throw trash on the ground and to make sure we put it in the bins," says first grader, Brynley Ecret.

"It is important to educate the students on recycling, but it is just as important to educate them on what happens to the materials after they throw them in the bins," says Hill.

Lower Alloway Creek School sixth graders take a moment away from cleaning up the Stow Creek bald eagle nest viewing platform to pose for a picture. Photo provided 

While the younger students were engaged in the world of what happens after we recycle, the sixth grade students were busy cleaning out the Stow Creek Bald Eagle nest viewing platform and the surrounding area. The students brought trash bags, rakes, and other gardening tools to help spruce up the area.

"We had a lot more fun than we thought we would have," says sixth grader, Madeleine Cherry. "It was a great way to give back to the Earth and to keep the water clean."

Classmate Abigail Boggs added, "It is important for us to do this because we don't want the wildlife and marine life eating trash."

Paul Gelish writes that this would save money and better serve places without any local police coverage.

I propose the total elimination of all township and local police departments in an effort to control costs for Salem County taxpayers. One way to move this idea forward is to organize a new countywide police force. If we get the blessing of the Fraternal Order of Police, we can make a lot of people happy. 

I'm not for eliminating jobs or benefits but, with one large force, we could probably qualify for state and federal Homeland Security funding. 

The new force would be required to cover all of Salem County including the City of Salem. Just imagine: only one police chief and one assistant chief. We might need to bring on a few more cadets but, with the bugs worked out, this unified force would excel. Law enforcement is very critical in this day and age, and only the best from the academy would be chosen.

Municipalities that do not have their own police, such as Alloway and Oldmans townships, would benefit from a new Salem County force, since the New Jersey State Police would no longer need to respond to routine calls -- and troopers could shift to more important matters. 

I propose that all of the new force's cars be unmarked, except K-9 units and other special units. Officers now on patrol duty would be assigned to police areas with partners, especially after dark. Some officers with high service would be transferred to internal affairs and investigation. 

Under this structure, the county sheriff's department would do only courtroom security duty, thereby eliminating its cruisers for further costs savings. 

All of the savings should be returned to taxpayers, which could halt a lot of property foreclosures. Most people can afford their basic mortgage payments, but real estate taxes are what take them down to poverty level.

                                   Paul A. Gelesh, Carneys Point Township

To N.J. schools: Do your civics duty

The Washington Township school district's mission statement lists one goal as "...  to ensure (students') full participation in an ever changing world as responsible, self-directed, and civic-minded citizens." 

Our students should know as much about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers as immigrants who pass the U.S. citizenship test. Some states -- but not  New Jersey -- and school districts require civics for graduation.

Studies have repeatedly painted a deplorable situation at high schools and colleges. A 2003 report commissioned by the Carnegie Corp. warned that "school-based civic education is in decline" and "young people's political and civic knowledge is inadequate." 

In 2005, the American Bar Association revealed the overall public's lack of understanding of civics, with a survey showing that 45 percent could not identify the three branches of government.

In three assessments since 2006, the National Center for Education Statistics stated that only 25 percent of students in grades 4, 8 and 12 were proficient in civics. Their 2014 report showed that only 18 percent of eighth-grade students are proficient in U.S. history, and 23 percent are proficient in civics.

A Washington Times article in January cited a National Association of Scholars report on four colleges, "Making Citizens: How American Universities Teach Civics," that found that traditional civic literacy was being replaced with information on how to organize protests, occupy buildings and stage demonstrations.

In order to meet the mission statement cited above, schools should emphasize civics rather than wasting time on PARCC standardized tests. Fostering an informed electorate is essential to the endurance of this free society.

Jack Sheidell, Turnersville

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In addition to the car show, there will be more than 30 vendors for visitors to enjoy

MANNINGTON TWP. -- The Salem County Vocational School and the Salem County Special Services School Districts will host the Second Annual Car Show on Saturday, April 29 at its campus on Route 45 in Mannington Township.

The car show runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with vehicle registration starting at 8:30 a.m. There is a $5 registration fee for the car show. The car show will begin at 10 a.m. with the Presentation of the Colors by the cadets in the Air Force Junior ROTC.

The first 200 cars to arrive at the car show will receive a dash plaque crafted by the Computer Assisted Design & Drafting students at the vo-tech. Door prizes to car show participants will be awarded throughout the day. At 2 p.m. trophies will be awarded to the top cars, motorcycles and trucks voted "Best in Show" and "People's Choice."

In addition to the car show, there will be more than 30 vendors for visitors to enjoy.  Students from the Allied Health program will offer free blood pressure screenings; students from the cosmetology program will be offering $5 haircuts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and students from the Culinary Arts program will be selling refreshments.  Various other student groups will be holding fundraisers that day as well. 

Also on April 29 the National Technical Honor Society will hold its Fourth Annual Yard Sale in the gymnasium from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Proceeds from the yard sale will benefit The ARC of Salem County and Worthwhile Wear. Donations to the yard sale will be accepted up until 3 p.m. on April 28.

For more information, call 856-769-0101, ext. 5391.

This item submitted by Bonnie Baker for Salem County Vocation School.

Authorities say an observant citizen called 911 to alert police of the burglary and then helped officer to track the suspects.

SALEM -- A father and son were arrested after allegedly being caught stripping copper pipe from a city house, all thanks to a tip from a concerned citizen, police say.

Kyle D. Crouse, 19, was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, possession of burglary tools and theft, according to Salem City Chief of Police John A. Pelura III. Crouse's father, Mickey D. Crouse, 43, was charged with burglary, theft, criminal mischief and possession of burglary tools, the chief said.

Just before 1 p.m. Monday Salem officers were dispatched to Magnolia Street to investigate the report of a burglary in progress at a house for sale there.

Pelura said a citizen had called 911 saying they saw two males break into the empty home through a basement window.

As police arrived in the area, the citizen told the 911 dispatcher that the men had left the house and fled down Davis Avenue. They were then seen running up Yorke Street, across East Broadway, and then onto Keasbey Street -- where they live.

The two were cut off and detained there by Salem patrolmen, Pelura said. Officers noticed their clothing was dirty and they had various tools in their pockets, the chief said.

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The caller who had alerted police to the burglary then arrived on the scene on their own and identified the Crouses as the two men they had seen breaking into the Magnolia Street home, Pelura said.

At the scene of the burglary, Pelura said officers found a basement window had been kicked in and copper pipes torn out of the basement. That pipe was collected from along the path where the two men fled, the chief said.

There was no estimate given of the damage caused in the burglary.

"As disheartening as it is to see a father and son crime duo, there is some solace in the fact that we have citizens that are willing to step up and take an active role in reporting crime," Pelura said Tuesday in announcing the arrests.

Both father and son live on Keasbey Street.

The were taken to the Salem County Correctional Facility, Mannington Township.